Restores and Guides - Day Three
Restore is one of my favorite words. Because of the turmoil my precious Michala and I once endured, we have seen how Papa restores and we get to share pieces of our stories to reflect His goodness and mercy. A story neither of us ever wanted to share with anyone, yet we see how Papa restored our brokenness and weaved his beautiful healing as restoration in our hearts. How can we not share His goodness?
Today; day three of our journey together through Psalm 23, we get to focus on restoration and righteousness.
“...he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” - Psalm 23:3 (NIV)
The dictionary (dictionary.com) defines restore as: 1. To bring back into existence, use or the like; reestablish. 2. To bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue or painting. 3. To bring back to a state of health, soundness or vigor. 4. To put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc. 5. To give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost). 6. To reproduce or reconstruct in the original state.
Papa does every single one of those definitions to our soul. When my soul feels stomped on; overwhelmed and weary, God brings it back into existence. He gives my soul life. He reestablishes it. He brings us back to a former, original or normal condition to reflect His mercy. He brings us back to a state of health, soundness or vigor, to complete His work He has called us to do. He puts back to a former place, former position, rank, etc. in order to show He keeps His promises. He gives back; makes return or restitution anything taken away from us or lost. Papa reproduces or reconstructs in the original state.
He bestows on us a crown of beauty instead of ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am theLord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.” - Joel 2:25-27 (NIV)
The beautiful gift we receive when we become Believers in Jesus is He gives us His Holy Spirit. We live a life guided by The Holy Spirit. As Pastor Steve reminds us, “A life yielding to the Holy Spirit.”
When we allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide, “He guides us in paths of righteousness. For his name’s sake.”
The things Aimee wants to do are not always the things The Holy Spirit wants Aimee to do. So when I relinquish control and do what Pastor Steve reminds us, “yield to the Holy Spirit,” it is then I realize He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Everything you and I do should reflect and glorify our Papa. He guides us in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. For His glory. For His honor. For His praise.
God allows us to be broken in order to restore us. In order to guide us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
I don’t like the process of being broken. “Embrace the tension,” is what both my pastor in Franklin; Jamie George, and my pastor in the Keys, Steve Lawes, teach us. I am not good at embracing the tension. I want to play “Hot Potato” with the tension and toss it away from me. But if I want to experience the beauty of God’s restoration, I have to trust he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Everything we experience is temporary. Everything. The sickness. The fear. The worry. The anxiety. The depression. The angst. The suffering. The anger. Everything God does is for His eternal good. We can embrace the tension with the knowledge God restores the brokenness for His name’s sake.
Terry and I had both been baptized before, but several years ago we wanted to be baptized again, together. It was a precious moment I realized God restores our souls.
...he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.